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Iraq Closes Anbar Crossing As Sunni Protests Continue

The authorities in Baghdad have closed Iraq's border crossing linking Anbar province to Jordan, a move some see as punishment for the region's continual protests against the government.
Sunni Muslims chant "Allahu Akbar", meaning "God is great", as they wave old Iraqi flags during an anti-government demonstration in Ramadi, 100 km (62 miles) west of Baghdad, April 26, 2013. Tens of thousands of Sunni Muslims poured onto the streets of Ramadi and Falluja in the western province of Anbar following Friday prayers, in protest against the perceived marginalisation of their sect since the U.S.-led invasion overthrew Saddam Hussein and empowered majority Shi'ites through the ballot box.  REUTERS/
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An official from the Anbar province, which is located about 100 kilometers (62 miles) west of the Iraqi capital, said that the central government in Baghdad is trying to punish the province over the protests that have been taking place for months against government policies by depriving it of the proceeds from one of the most important border crossings in the country.

The head of Anbar’s Provincial Council, Jassim al-Halbusi, told Al-Monitor that the central government, which oversees the management of Iraq’s border crossings, asked the administration of the Trebil border crossing — linking Iraq and Jordan — at the beginning of this month “to tighten procedures for inspecting cars and trucks that use this crossing. This led to a decline in traffic at this crossing, as well as a decline in its revenues, of which the province receives five percent.”  

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